The Uintah RailwayThe Gilsonite Routeby Henry E. Bender Jr.

This book is your ticket to the Uintah Railway, one of the last narrow gauge lines built in the Rockies. Bender's history is complete and colorful; its pages are full of steam and tell the story of the only railroad to penetrate the vast Uintah Basin of western Colorado and northeastern Utah. The line was built almost exclusively to carry the unusual mineral called gilsonite, the glossy-black asphaltum found nowhere else in the world. The unusual task was made all the more difficult by the fantastic grade climbing Baxter Pass -- 5 miles of unremitting 7.5% with its many ultra-sharp curves -- for which the route became famous. Take a ride on the Uintah Railway, through the far corners of desolate western Colorado and northeaster Utah, home of the rare mineral gilsonite. Her is the unique story of this 68-mile line, with nearly 300 photos, line maps and complete equipment rosters.